A septic tank effluent pump (STEP) system allows neighborhoods to treat wastewater independently and avoid connection to a municipal sewer. However, these large decentralized systems typically require more intensive maintenance than an ordinary septic system, as filters between the pump vault and treatment plant can clog with solids. E Z Onsite’s STEP system addresses that problem with a self-cleaning pump vault, which was displayed at the 2015 Water & Wastewater Equipment, Treatment & Transport (WWETT) Show. 

“This is a single-tank application that precedes the treatment plant,” says Micah Frazier, manager and officer with E Z Onsite. “Instead of collecting the solids, this system returns them back to the tank treatment zone. They settle to the bottom of the vault and are forced through a 2-inch opening for easy disposal.”   

Fewer solids reach the filter, allowing for longer maintenance intervals and reduced system alarms due to clogging. 

Since launching its STEP system with the self-cleaning pump vault in spring 2010, 10 utilities in the southeastern portion of the U.S. have adopted the units. They come with float collars that connect to 1-inch Schedule 40 PVC, floats with a wide or narrow angle, discharge assemblies available in 1/2-inch quick-connect PEX or Flex Series in 1-, 1 1/4- and 2-inch, and control panels manufactured in a 508 UL listed control shop, with simplex and duplex options and visible and audible alarms. Smart panels with telemetry are also available. 

“We’ve received outstanding feedback from the units in the field,” Frazier says. “We have one utility south of Nashville, Tennessee, in particular that was getting alarms on their STEP system pretty regularly. Since they replaced the unit with our self-cleaning pump fault, they haven’t had an alarm in three years.” 

Frazier says the system has proven itself in the southeast U.S., and now the company is ramping up marketing in the rest of the country. He says contacts he made at the WWETT Show are promising.

“I talked with several installers and municipalities from the Midwest that are interested in taking a look at how our unit would work in different climates. That’s exciting!” 888/423-3687.